Up until now the choices have actually been rather spartan when you compare the tablet market to the PC space. That is about to change in the next two months... and prices are going to reflect the change. (Though I doubt right away, it will take some time to shake it all out)

New tablets coming soon:

Windows 8 tablets: these are the most interesting due to the fact that they can double as a laptop and run x86 based programs. In theory these should dominate the market over time but in reality pricing will determine their adoption rate. Color me skeptical for now.

Windows RT: meh... basically windows version of an Android or iOS tablet, I see very limited potential here but who knows.

iPad Mini: Also will depend on pricing. If it isn't at least CLOSE to the $200 price point, I can't see any compelling reason to purchase one other than the typical Apple fan "have to have the cool new thing" factor. Of course, we know jack shite about their specs so I could be way off here... but it's always good to have more choices.

As for all the other Android tablets... I see a number of major price drops heading our way.. take a look at the new Kindle Fire HD 8.9 at $299 and the Nook HD+ at $269.. that's unreal. We are about to have quality tablets getting close to the $250 mark.

EDITED TO ADD RUMORS:

Google is supposedly releasing a $99 tablet and a 10.1" Nexus with REALLY high end specs (made by Samsung) both are rumored to start manufacturing in December.

It's so far from the self-absorbed hipster image you have in your mind, that it makes you look a little out of touch. I've introduced hundreds of iPads into our ecosystem over the last few years. And not to snobby hipsters, but shiny suit executives. If you completely shun Apple these days, you're going to significantly limit yourself in the IT field.

I'm, of course, being facetious. Macs are great consumer tools but they are slllllllllloooooowwwwwww in making any real impact in the workplace. The iPad and iPhone are the two devices that are having the greatest traction. Iphone, because Blackberry is a PITA and Android is not secure. The iPad, due to form factor.

For most business work, you need coroporate communications (e.g. mail, messaging), Excel, Word, and Acrobat. You then have line of business applications that perform various functions. Apple products can, for the most part, connect & participate in the business world, but there is additional configuration that is needed, there is additional cost for the products themselves, and there are compatability hurdles that must be overcome. THis all means additional COST. To business, additional COST is bad. Business exists for profit; if they can do all the things they need to do using a PC laptop at .25 the price point of an Apple solution, you better believe that is what they are going to do.

Apple has been fantastic is marketing their products to the consumer world. Their devices are tailor-made to consumers. You have to modify their behavior & make concessions to make them a business-friendly device (exception being very basic stuff like running a small business; which I have done using a MacBook Pro).

The iPad form factor is nearly perfect. Problem is it's just a big iPod touch. While super cool, and it has untold potential, it is still limited by its focus on being the ultimate consumer tablet device. Kudos to Apple, they achieved that goal.

Business people are also consumers. They love their consumer platforms and want to use them at work; thus the rise in bring your own device (BYOD ) initiatives. The problem is integrating these devices that are not bult for integration, management, and business is a big challenge. Yes, it can be done, but it is not cheap. Again, business exists to make a profit. Yeah, it would be super neat to be able to do all your work on an iPad, but the cost of doing that is unjustifiable for most.

This is where the Surface comes in. It is a business device, running the desktop OS that runs all of the applications businesses already run, can be integrated and administrered like their existing platforms with no additional cost, AND provides the awesome form factor of the iPad. That is a winning proposition. That, of course, is in reference to the Surface Pro. The RT, on the other hand, is simple Microsoft's version of the iPad: a cool form factor for basic consumer needs, e.g. surfing the web, social media, checking web mail, Skype.

The cool thing about Surface is it's not a different OS from the desktop. Apple has OSX and iOS; they are distinct. Surface, the PC, laptop, and Phone all run W8. Consistent experience + integrated functionality + ability to use as both a business and consumer device; I think it's a great idea. Execution on that idea is the key; that's where Microsoft needs to be on their game. Now that the idea is out there, Google, Apple, Amazon, Samsung, and others will try to do the same thing. If they can execute more efficiently, we will all win as consumers. Nothing breeds excellence more than true competition.

The ecosystem is changing fast. Over the last 5 years, all the upper level techs in my department have switched to Macs for their main system. Mainly because the majority of the executives at the top have switched to Mac. Supporting both PC and Mac is a requirement now, not a luxury. The Macs run OS X and Windows both, and that versatility makes them much more useful and worth the additional price.

It's so far from the self-absorbed hipster image you have in your mind, that it makes you look a little out of touch. I've introduced hundreds of iPads into our ecosystem over the last few years. And not to snobby hipsters, but shiny suit executives. If you completely shun Apple these days, you're going to significantly limit yourself in the IT field.

WOW, that is quite a deployment. Have you guys developed a case study/whitepaper on it? I know of several companies struggling with the concept; guidance and working examples would be beneficial to them.

WOW, that is quite a deployment. Have you guys developed a case study/whitepaper on it? I know of several companies struggling with the concept; guidance and working examples would be beneficial to them.

I'm sure there's all kinds of marketing info out there, I can't really go into details without giving up personal info I don't want to give up.

I like it. Nice screen, fast, perfect size for the hand, light. I have the 16 GB. Only thing it lacks is an SD Card slot to expand the memory. Hence why I bought the 16. Now you can get the 32 GB for what the 16 GB used to cost. Can't go wrong with it. IMHO

I like it. Nice screen, fast, perfect size for the hand, light. I have the 16 GB. Only thing it lacks is an SD Card slot to expand the memory. Hence why I bought the 16. Now you can get the 32 GB for what the 16 GB used to cost. Can't go wrong with it. IMHO